1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for adjusting the rear-view mirrors of a vehicle towing a trailer and, more particularly, to a system and method for automatically adjusting the rear-view mirrors of a vehicle towing a trailer based on a hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer.
2. Description of the Related Art
The automotive industry makes considerable effort to improve the safety of vehicles and their occupants. One of the areas of concern has been the limited field-of-view provided by the rear-view mirrors of the vehicle.
Rear-view mirrors of a vehicle are oriented to provide the driver of the vehicle with an optimum rear viewing zone behind and towards the left and towards the right of the vehicle. For manually adjustable rear-view mirrors, the rear viewing zone is a fixed region of space in the vicinity of the vehicle, which is at a particular orientation relative to the vehicle. The orientation of the rear viewing zone can be adjusted by adjusting the rear-view mirrors.
When the vehicle is traveling on the road, where the profile of the road is changing, a fixed rear viewing zone may limit the view of the driver and may lead to accidents involving pedestrians, bicycle riders and other vehicles not seen by the driver because of the fixed rear viewing zone. In such cases there is a need to correct the rear viewing zone of the mirror to get a desired view.
The problem of a limited rear viewing zone becomes even more prominent in the case of vehicles towing a trailers tractor-trailers, articulated buses and the like as the line of sight is further limited due to the bending of the vehicle combination.
One existing system that addresses the above-mentioned problem for vehicles towing trailers determines the change in distance between the vehicle and the trailer to identify that the vehicle is making a turn, and adjusts the rear-view mirror accordingly to optimize the rear viewing zone. The system makes use of magnetic field sensors mounted on the vehicle and the trailer. However, the use of magnetic sensors leads to problems because there are a number of electrical devices in a vehicle that may affect the functioning of such magnetic sensors. Further, this system can only be used for vehicles towing a trailer.
Another existing system provides an automatic adjustment of rear-view mirrors based on the turning of the vehicle around a vertical axis. However, this system does not adjust the rear-view mirrors when the vehicle is moving downhill or uphill.